LAM02 Reminiscing
by ccmal
Summary: Laura and Mary reminisce the day before Mary leaves for New York. Sequel to The Social


**Reminiscing**

LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little House on the Prairie television series, book series, or any of the characters.

**Author's note: This is a sequel to **_**The Social**_

"C'mon lovebirds," teased Charles. "We've got to get this place cleaned up."

"Oh Pa!" Laura released Almanzo from an embrace.

"I'll wash the dishes," said Mary.

Caroline put a hand on Mary's shoulder. "You should go home and get some rest. You have a big trip tomorrow."

"Aw Ma, let me help, please. It will be like old times."

"Alright, but don't wear yourself out."

"Next thing you know, she'll want to come back to our place and sleep in the loft." Everyone laughed at Charles's joke, but Laura could see the tears peeking out from behind his twinkling eyes.

"Actually, I was hoping Laura and Almanzo would let us stay with them tonight. Most of our things are already waiting for us at the train station and it just doesn't feel like a home anymore."

Laura glanced up at Almanzo, her eager eyes full of anticipation. He nodded with a smile.

"We'd love to have you. Adam and Manly can bunk in the spare room and you and I can sleep in the big bed. It'll be just like when we were girls."

"Uh-oh," said Charles. "That means their cackling will keep you awake all night." He pointed at Almanzo and Adam as he laughed.

"We weren't that bad, were we Pa?" asked Mary.

"Well, it was sure better to hear you two getting along than to listen to your fighting."

"We didn't fight," said Laura. "Right Ma?"

Caroline picked up a stack of dirty plates and sashayed by them, a muttered, "Like cats and dogs," slipping out as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"C'mon Mary, let's get this mess cleaned up so we can go home." Laura pointed her nose high in the air, as she led Mary away from them, pretending to be offended by their accusations.

Mary crawled onto the bed in the Wilder's room, tucking her legs underneath her. "Do I smell popcorn?"

"Yep, I just made it. Help yourself. It's at two o'clock." Laura crunched a mound of popcorn. "So, are you excited about living in New York?"

Mary's lips opened as if she would speak, but at the last moment she turned her face away. Her fingers fiddled with the bedspread as she blinked away the tears Laura had seen in her eyes when she danced with Adam.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Oh Laura, I'm so scared. Living in Winoka was challenging, but how am I ever going to manage a city the size of New York? Adam's already talking about getting me hired help. He must think I can't handle it either."

Big tears slid down Mary's porcelain cheek. Laura reached around and pulled Mary close to her, letting her older sister release the pent up fear she had been hiding. "It's going to be alright," she cooed, as if talking to an injured child.

Mary dabbed the last few tears away with a handkerchief. Laura knew she had to help Mary find the confidence she always possessed. But she wasn't always sure how to play the big sister role, especially with Mary.

She smiled, taking an extra minute to collect her thoughts. "I don't believe Adam thinks that at all. He's the one who showed you how to survive in a sighted world. Doubting your ability to manage New York would be like his admitting he didn't teach you properly." Laura slid her right hand over Mary's. "I really think he is just trying to provide you with the life he thinks you deserve. He's been given a chance to fulfill his dream and he wants to share his good fortune with the woman he loves."

"I guess." Mary's faint-hearted words did not convince Laura.

"That certainly doesn't sound like the big sister I know—the one I've always looked up to, the one I still wish I was more like."

Mary guffawed. "Why would you want to be more like me?"

"Because you've always been so much smarter and more courageous than I."

"Courageous? Me?" Mary shook her head in disbelief. "You're joking."

"You've survived scarlet fever, multiple surgeries, and the loss of two children. If you were scared, I never knew it. You have always been able to recover from the hardships in your life and move forward."

"I was frightened during all those things. I can't tell you how many times I prayed for God to let me live, to help me when I didn't know how to help myself." Mary exhaled deeply. "Going blind was the hardest—I was losing my sight and there was nothing I could do about it. I prayed and prayed, but my world just got darker every day. Then one morning, I opened my eyes to total blackness. I've never been so afraid."

Laura swiped at the tears trickling down her cheek. "I had never seen you give up before. It frightened me. I couldn't believe that my sister, who always confronted her problems head on, could just sit in a chair and not even try."

Mary shrugged. "It was tough. I wondered if I had the strength to go on living like this for the rest of my life. It was the only time I came close to wishing I were dead." A smile curled the corners of Mary's lips. "But then I met Adam and I knew I had a future. I became a teacher, just like Ma and I planned."

Mary slid in close to Laura. "You've never shied away from a problem either."

"Oh really," chuckled Laura. "You must not remember how many times I ran away from home."

Mary's perfect white teeth showed through a wide grin. "Now that you mention it, you did run away more than once…but you never went very far."

They laughed. "Nope. Did I ever tell you about the last time I ran away and hid in the barn?"

Mary shook her head. Laura jumped off the bed. It was too hard to stay sitting when telling a story. Eyes wide with glee, the storyteller doing what she did best, she reminisced about the day Ma wanted her to apologize to Almanzo.

"Manly had just moved to Walnut Grove with Eliza Jane. I fell in love with Almanzo the first time I saw him, but Mrs. Oleson had pegged him as a possible suitor for Nellie. She invited him over for supper at the restaurant, and you know that Mrs. Oleson and Nellie couldn't cook, so I told them I would do it."

"Aiding the enemy? That sure doesn't sound like you."

Laura ignored her sister's comment and continued, too much into her story to be slighted. "Almanzo's favorite dish was cinnamon chicken, but I used cayenne pepper instead."

"You didn't," exclaimed Mary.

"I did, and when Nellie and Almanzo took a bite out of it they were left gasping for water. Almanzo took off in a huff and I was sure I ended any courtship between Nellie and him."

"You and your schemes."

"They weren't always mine. Carl, Andy, and Albert came up with some good ones."

"Yeah, but you were always a part of them." A warm blush crept up Laura's face. "Ma must have been so mad."

"She was," said Laura. "She made me march right on over to Nellie and apologize."

"Oooooo"

"But then she wanted me to say I was sorry to Almanzo."

"So?"

"I wasn't going to go over to the Feed and Seed with Ma and apologize like some little kid."

"I see."

"So, I ran out of town and hid in the barn. It was bed time before they found me. Boy, did Pa give it to me."

"I bet, and it's not like you could tell him you were in love with Almanzo."

"Exactly. Could you imagine what he would have said then?" They chuckled.

"Did you ever apologize to Almanzo?"

"Yeah, I went over the next day and told him I was playing a trick on Nellie and that I never thought he would eat it. He said he wanted to get out of there early anyway."

"Well, at least it all worked out. And you got the better of Nellie too…how often does that happen?"

"She sure did know how to get my dander up."

"That fiery temper always gets the better of you."

"Don't remind me," she sighed. "I always jump right into things." Laura plunked down next to Mary on the bed. "Poor Brenda Sue," she whispered.

"Who's Brenda Sue?"

"One of Almanzo's ex-girlfriends. She came to Walnut Grove shortly after Almanzo and I got married." Laura hesitated, nervous sweat starting to form at her hairline. Could she actually admit this to perfect, lady-like Mary? "I thought Almanzo and Brenda Sue were having an affair and I…uh…I attacked her in the middle of the street."

"What!"

"In front of all my students."

"You're kidding."

"I only wish I were. Ma came out of the restaurant and broke it up. She was furious. A few days later Mr. Williams came to see me. He wasn't very happy. The town's school teacher brawling in front of everyone did not sit well with the school district."

Mary rubbed the back of Laura's hand. "You can't help who you are. That fiery temper is what kept the Olesons from taking advantage of you, and it's probably part of why Almanzo always took a liking to you. You made the rest of the young women in town seem boring and spineless."

"I don't know, Mary, you were always the one with a line of boys following you around."

"I never quite understood it. From what I remember, I guess I was kind of pretty, but…"

"Kind of pretty? Mary, all my life I wanted to look like you—beautiful golden hair, pretty blue eyes, porcelain skin. I could never be half as pretty as you."

"Did your hair get darker as you got older?"

"A little bit."

"So, it must be a lovely auburn." Mary's hands touched Laura's hair and traveled down its full length. Then they went back up to trace the outline of her face. "Your skin is as smooth as silk and I always loved your tiny ears. You're just as beautiful as you say I am."

"But I'm still freckled."

Mary giggled. "What's so funny?" asked Laura.

"When we were girls, I would connect the dots while you were sleeping."

Laura gasped. "That's awful."

"See, I wasn't good all the time."

Laura tried to blink away the tears welling up in her eyes, but the warm wetness slid down her cheeks. "Oh Mary, I feel like I'm losing my best friend."

Laura collapsed into her sister's arms. "Hush now," said Mary, her voice soft and comforting. Cupping Laura's face in her hands, she smiled to let Laura know she had accepted leaving the town she loved so much. "It's only New York. I'm sure we'll find a way to visit, and the train will get our letters to us in no time."

"That's not the same thing as you being here."

"No, but Adam deserves this chance. He's worked hard and he needs to pursue his dream."

Laura wiped away the last few tears from her cheek. Her hands planted firmly on her hips, she said in disgust, "Look at me. I'm supposed to be comforting you and you're the one telling me it will be alright."

Mary smiled. "It's tough not to play the big sister."

"So, what will you do if you run into Nellie in New York?"

"Why, do you want me to beat her up for you?"

The sisters collapsed on the bed in a fit of laughter. The sound traveled down the stairs into the bedroom Almanzo and Adam shared. They glanced at each other and said, "Cackling," before rolling over to try and sleep."

The next morning everyone met at the Post Office. The stage was packed and ready to go. Mary hugged her young siblings. Albert and Carrie fought back tears with big heaves from their chests. Grace snuggled her head into Mary's neck and placed a small kiss there. "Wuv you." Mary swallowed away the lump in her throat.

Charles clasped Mary's hands. "Don't let them city folks change you too much."

"I won't. I'll eat with my shoes off at least once a week," she said, her tone lighthearted, but her face crinkled with worry lines.

Caroline placed her hands on Mary's shoulders. "I won't cry and I won't say goodbye." She embraced her oldest daughter tightly. "Well, at least I won't say goodbye," she said, sniffling away the tears.

"I love you Ma," whispered Mary.

Laura waited anxiously by the stage coach, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. She grabbed Mary's hand and tucked a glass bottle into it.

Mary ran her fingers along the cool, smooth surface. "What is it?"

"My bottle of Lemon Verbena. Maybe it will help if you ever get homesick."

Mary hugged her younger sister, the tears now flowing freely onto her cheeks and spilling onto her coat. "Thank you. I'm going to miss you."

Laura breathed deeply to steady her voice. "I'll miss you too. Write me as soon as you're settled. I want to hear all about New York."

"You know, Laura, maybe you could take those stories from your Remembrance Book and make them into a real book some day. All the best publishing houses are in New York. It sure would be a great excuse to come for a visit."

Laura nodded. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

"Take care of my sister," Mary said in Almanzo's direction.

"I will. I promise."

They watched in silence as the stage disappeared around the corner.

"How about we all go over to the restaurant for some pie?" suggested Caroline.

"No thanks Ma," said Laura. "I have to get home."

"We got time if ya wanna stay for a few minutes, Beth."

"I think I would rather go home." Laura kissed Grace's cheek. "I want to dig out my old Remembrance Book."

"You haven't looked at that in ages. What are you going to do with it?"

"I just thought a publisher in New York might be interested in the life of a young pioneer girl growing up on the untamed prairie."


End file.
